Location and Accomodations
28 August – 1 September 2017 Chicago, IL
Plan Your Visit to Chicago, IL
Please see the following resources to make your travel to Chicago memorable! Choosechicago.com has itineraries designed with you in mind, maps to help you find your way, visitor guide to help you with your planning, and an array of restaurant options to complete your perfect travel experience.
Things to see & do in Chicago.
Local food and drink options
Name: Lobby Lounge of the JW Marriott Hotel
Recommended by: Scott Collis
Good for: Cocktails..
Description: Strange that we recommend a hotel lobby bar? I (Scott) often visit this place on my way back to Chicago Union station. Great cocktails! Amazing historic lobby at a fancy hotel.. Feel like you are in the 1%.
Bookings: Nope.
Walking distance: Yes (ish) about one mile.
Public transport: Head to Columbus and East Wacker. Take the 20,121, 124 or 151 heading North. Get off at Madison and LaSalle.
Contact: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/restaurant/chijw-jw-marriott-chicago/
Name: Italian Village
Recommended by: Scott Collis
Good for: Italian food (yep).
Description: A village within a building. Three restaurants great italian food!
Bookings: Recommended for larger groups.. Easy to make online
Walking distance: Yes (ish) about one mile.
Public transport:Walk to Wacker & Stetson and take the No. 6 bus towards 79th/South Shore. Get off at State and Monroe.
Contact: https://italianvillage-chicago.com
Name: The Gauge
Recommended by: Scott Collis
Good for: Small groups. Noisy. Great food and craft beer.
Description: HIstoric location with great food, cocktails and beer. Gets noisy but a cosy atmosphere. My favourite is the poutine.
Bookings: You can usually fit one or two people in easily at anytime.. 4 or more suggest a reservation.
Walking distance: Yes, 15 minutes
Public transport: Quicker to walk.
Contact: All you need to know here: https://www.thegagechicago.com/
Name: Howell’s and Hood
Recommended by: Scott Collis
Good for: outdoor dining in an iconic square
Description: Howells and Hood is a classic American bar/food place. Large menu, not the cheapest but not the most expensive. Right across from the Wrigley building in the middle of a large square and the river. Great outdoor dining area. Very reasonable draft beer list.
Bookings: For lunch you should be good. Can get busy for dinner if you have more than 4 people.
Walking distance: 8 minutes
Public transport: quicker to walk
Contact: All you need to know: http://www.howellsandhood.com/
Name: Pleasant House Pub
Recommended by: Scott Collis
Good for: Pies (not the Pizza variety... Meat and other pies)
Description: In Chicago’s Halstead neighbourhood, out of the main loop this is a very cool pub with communal seating and the best pies in Chicago. Great coffee and beer (occasially they have english beers on cask). Scratch kitchen where they get many ingredients from the urban farm lot next door.
Bookings: For lunch you should be good. Can get busy for dinner if you have more than 4 people.
Walking distance: No
Public transport: Take orange line from State/Lake Streets towards Halsted
Contact: All you need to know: http://www.pleasanthousepub.com/
Name: The Berghoff
Recommended by: Scott Collis
Good for: Beer and German Food
Description: One mile from the hotel in the center of town this German pub/beer hall is “Just the right amount of old school”. Nothing fancy at all.. Very loud but good fun.
Bookings: For lunch you should be good. Can get busy for dinner if you have more than 4 people.
Walking distance: Yes (ish).
Public transport: Walk to Wacker & Stetson and take the No. 6 bus towards 79th/South Shore. Get off at State and Monroe.
Contact: https://www.theberghoff.com/
Name: Revolution Brewing (Logan Square)
Recommended by: Bobby Jackson
Good for: Beer, food
Description: In Logan Square, this brewery has all of the Revolution Brewing beers that are made right here in Chicago. I tend to like the Eugene beer.
Walking distance: No
Public transport: Take the Blue line to the California stop
Contact: https://revbrew.com/brewpub/overview
Bookings: Can be quite busy Friday and Saturday nights. It is reasonable for a Monday to Thursday evening outing of less than about 6 people, but too far from the conference for lunch. There is also an awesome beercade nearby (Emporium Logan Square) if you want to spend a night gaming.
Name: Lao Sze Chuan or Chinatown in general
Recommended by: Virendra Ghate
Good for: Food (dinner or lunch)
Description: If you are a fan of spicy chinese food, this is the restaurant to go to. It is located in the heart of China town. There are about 50 other mostly good chinese restaurants around, so you can just have a Dim Sum if you feel like at some other place.
Bookings: Not required.
Walking distance: No
Public transport: Can take the red line train to Cermack China Town stop. There are multiple CTA buses that go from conference center to there.
Contact: http://www.chicagolaoszechuan.com/menu.aspx
Activities
What: Andy’s Jazz Club
Recommended by: Virendra Ghate
Description: Cool spot for listening to nice Jazz/Blues music and have good food. They have a full bar. Gets crowded (loud) at times, so better to make dinner reservations.
Contacts: http://www.andysjazzclub.com/
What: Chicago Architecture river cruise
Recommended by: Scott Collis
Description: Very relaxing cruise along the Chicago river with very knowledgable guides. On board bar helps as well! Note: There is an organized activity for this Wednesday at 3:30pm.
What: Maggie Daley Park
Recommended by: Scott Collis
Description: Located due south of the hotel this park includes outdoor rock climbing and a roller skate/blade track. There are also extensive playgrounds for attendees with kids. There is also bike hire on the northern end of the park
Contacts: http://maggiedaleypark.com/
What: Navy Pier
Recommended by: Scott Collis
Description: Originally completed in 1916 as part of Daniel Burnham's plan for Chicago, Navy Pier is an iconic city landmark inspiring discovery and wonder. Since its reopening in 1995, more than 180 million visitors have come to enjoy the Pier's 50 acres of unparalleled attractions and experiences. As Navy Pier enters its second century, the venue is evolving into an accessible, year-round centerpiece for Chicago’s diverse arts and cultural treasures. Navy Pier is a one mile walk from the hotel via the chicago riverwalk.
Contacts: https://navypier.com/
What: Chicago Riverwalk
Recommended by: Scott Collis
Description: The newly created riverwalk is right outside the hotel! This series of riverside paths, boardwalks, historic sites and art installations stays low and close to the river so you pass underneath Chicago’s historic opening bridges.
Contacts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Riverwalk
Transportation
Ride the L from the Airport to the Conference
Map
Accommodations
Attendees were responsible for making their own hotel arrangements. All meeting sessions for the conferences were held at Swissotel Chicago in Chicago, IL.
A block of rooms was reserved at the Swissotel Chicago for all meeting attendees at a special rate of $197.00 plus 17.4% tax.
Thank you for booking your sleeping room at the meeting host hotel. In doing so, you’re helping AMS maintain a strong pick-up history for future hotel contract negotiations, helping to keep registration rates as low as possible.
Federal Government Employees
A block of rooms was reserved at the Swissotel Chicago for Federal Government Employees at the government per diem rate of $192.00 plus 17.4% tax.